An Odd Assignment
by Karindii
Summary: Takarada-shachou has a new assignment for Kyoko...but how exactly does Hikaru fit into all this? Tis for the Hikaru Challenge!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This here is my story for the Hikaru Challenge! I'll try to update this quickly, but we all can't be leavesfallingup. In any case, please enjoy this first chapter and leave a comment if you like!

* * *

Takarada Lory glared at his T.V., considering the three options before him.

1. Introduce yourself

2. Ignore him

3. Let your friend introduce you

As far as he was concerned, each choice had its own merits. "Introducing yourself" would show that Akari had courage enough to hold her own ground against the most popular guy in school, which would catch any guy's attention. But ignoring him might arouse his curiosity and lure him into trying to find out why Akari ignored him, thereby luring him into finding out more about Akari herself. Then again, letting Akari's friend make the introductions would give the friend the chance to vouch for Akari and sing her praises. All of them seemed like good choices, but which choice would Shinichi like best? Knowing that heartless boy, he would probably dislike all three.

The president of L.M.E. began to sweat. This was a life or death matter. With this first encounter, Akari could start a wonderful friendship with Shinichi, which could turn into a beautiful romance…or she could lose any chance she had with him at all. Lory mindlessly scrolled through the options over and over again, hesitant to actually pick one lest it be the wrong choice. He sighed, knowing he'd have to pick one soon. He couldn't leave his PlayStation running for three days again just to give himself time to choose. So, his heart heavy with an impending sense of doom, he finally stopped his repetitive scrolling on "Introduce yourself" and pressed the confirmation button.

And a few seconds later, a horrible, heartbroken scream echoed throughout the president's office as Shinichi smirked meanly and walked off screen.

"Noooooo! Get back here, you heartless boy!" the President cried out. Lory then flopped on his back, letting the controller roll out of his hand. After allowing his master to pout for a few minutes, Sebastian silently appeared beside Lory with a folder.

"Here is the report you requested, Takarada-shachou," the butler said quietly while holding the folder out to the melancholic man. Lory immediately sat up and gleefully rubbed his hands together, a devious smile on his face.

"Thank you very much, Sebastian," Lory told the manservant and took the folder out of his hand. He opened the folder and quickly flipped through the photos inside, his devious smile growing wider and wider at each photo. After looking at the last photo for a few moments, he laughed loudly, shut the folder, and handed it back to Sebastian.

"Well, that confirms my suspicions," Lory mused out loud as he leaned back on his arm. Stroking his chin, the love-crazed president began to scheme on how he could use this new information.

A few minutes later, Lory turned to the other man and said, "Sebastian, call Mogami-kun and Ishibashi Hikaru here. Show Hikaru-kun in right away, but have Mogami-kun stay outside until I ask for her."

"As you wish, Takarada-shachou," Sebastian responded, turning to leave and perform the given tasks.

Takarada Lory then returned to his game and started over. While waiting for his game to load, he chuckled a little and said to no one in particular, "This should be the most fun I've had since giving Ren his 'good luck charm'."

* * *

Mogami Kyoko was sitting in the little waiting room in front of Takarada-san's office, waiting to be called in. She had received Takarada-san's voice message requesting a meeting just after she left Box-R's set. Of course, she had immediately pedaled over to L.M.E. for the meeting…and had arrived just in time to see one of her Ishibashi-onii-sans, Hikaru-san, walk into Takarada-san's office. This had left Kyoko very confused because, as far as she was aware, Takarada-san rarely called employees into his office. Honestly, the LoveMe section and Tsuruga-san were rather exceptional as they were called in quite often. But for Hikaru-san to be called in was rather…odd.

As Kyoko sat there, contemplating such an odd situation, Sebastian emerged from the president's office. "You may come in now, Mogami-san," he told her.

Kyoko quickly stood up and walked through the door. Sebastian quietly closed the door behind her and moved towards a corner where he would be out of sight.

"Ah, Mogami-kun! Come in and take a seat," Lory told his favorite LoveMe member.

"Hai, Takarada-san," Kyoko answered. She walked to the pair of couches that sat in front of the president's mahogany desk. Hikaru-san was sitting on the couch to the left, looking down at his knees and apparently thinking very hard about something. While curious about what exactly Hikaru-san was thinking about, Kyoko did not ask him what was plaguing his mind and simply sat down beside him. He looked up at her, blushed, and quickly returned to staring at his knees. Indeed, something…odd…was afoot here.

"Well, Mogami-kun, I have a new assignment for you. But first I need you to answer a question for me. What is your opinion on love now that you've been in the LoveMe section for a while?"

Kyoko pursed her lips in thought and didn't answer for several minutes. "I feel," she slowly began," that there are many different kinds of love. I love Moko-san as my best friend, I love Maria-chan as my little sister, and I love Otou-san as my father. I also respect and, to some extent, love many of the people I have worked since I began my career here at L.M.E."

She paused there for a few moments, as if to organize her thoughts. "I suppose that the best way to explain how I feel about love is that it is dangerous, especially romantic love."

Lory frowned as she said that, but Kyoko continued with her answer and his disapproval went unnoticed.

"But although love leaves your heart open to be hurt…the relationship you receive in exchange for that vulnerability is well worth it," Kyoko finally finished.

"Hmmm…interesting answer Mogami-kun. What about romantic love specifically?" Lory asked, the smile having returned to his face.

She flinched a little at this question. "I feel the same way about romantic love as I do about love in general. I am simply not…interested…in pursuing a romantic relationship at the moment."

Lory nodded his head, as if he had expected such an answer. He looked at Kyoko and Hikaru, who was still staring at his knees, before continuing the conversation. "Mogami-kun, you have made great strides since you entered the LoveMe section in reclaiming your lost emotion. I can honestly say that you are just a step, a hop, and a skip away from having it."

Kyoko's eyes shone at such high praise from the man who had taken her under his wing and given her the opportunity to act. "But," Lory continued, "that is still a step, a hop, and a skip away. And I have come with an assignment that might help shorten that distance just a little."

"Hikaru-kun, lift up your head," Lory commanded. "You are a part of this conversation as well."

Hikaru quickly complied, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. And Kyoko's face slipped into a look of utter confusion at that.

"Ano…Takarada-san…what does Hikaru-san have to do with it?" Kyoko questioned.

"He will be helping you with your next assignment," Lory promptly answered. "Mogami-kun, I want you to act as Hikaru's girlfriend."

Kyoko's jaw had literally dropped to the floor. "But…but…Takarada-san! How am I supposed to do that? I don't know how to act out such a role! And even if I did, I'm sure Hikaru-san would disapprove of the publicity he would receive from such a…"

"Stop right there, Mogami-kun," Lory told her sternly. Kyoko's mouth immediately shut and she waited for what the president of her company had to say.

"First of all," he began, "I wouldn't have volunteered Hikaru-kun for this assignment without seeking his approval. In fact, he said he would be quite happy to help just before you entered the room, right Hikaru-san?"

"Hai, Takarada-shachou," Hikaru answered, a flabbergasted look still plastered all over his face.

"Second of all, you will not be acting as his girlfriend in public per se," Lory continued. "This assignment is similar to your assignment as Setsu and you will receive a disguise from Jelly each time you go out."

Kyoko began to absolutely glow at this information. She would get to see Jelly-san and be able to partake in her magic again!

"Now that I've addressed your first two concerns, Mogami-kun, I imagine you still have a few more. Ask away, but only one question at a time please," Lory said, chuckling just a little.

She bit her lip in thought. The president was right; she did have a few more questions, but which one to start with…?

"Is it alright for Hikaru-san to take part in this assignment?" Kyoko asked and quickly realized how her question could be interpreted.

She immediately turned to Hikaru and said, "I didn't mean that to be respectful, Hikaru-san! I just meant that you are musician and I was wondering if you would have trouble in an acting exercise!"

Hikaru laughed, his normal personality returning a little bit after seeing Kyoko in such an agitated state at her perceived insult to her sempai. "Don't worry about it, Kyouko-chan. I understand what you meant."

"But in any case, I believe Hikaru-kun will have no problem acting out this role, Mogami-kun," Lory said in answer to her question. And, like her usual oblivious self, Kyoko took no note of what that statement actually meant.

"Ano…then how often are we to meet for this assignment?" Kyoko asked.

"As often as you can, Mogami-kun. I won't put a time limit on this assignment, but every so often I will be giving you tests or calling you in to my office to discuss how the assignment is going. It will be to your benefit to meet as often as you can," Lory told her.

"Alright, then," Kyoko said. A few moments passed in silence as she thought of her next question. "And we are supposed to act out a dating couple?"

"Yes, Mogami-kun, but I am putting one restriction on your character."

Kyoko nodded in acceptance, but quietly waited for Lory to explain his restriction.

"You are not allowed to create a character separate from yourself. I want you to experience this as yourself, so that you can recreate or at least act out the feeling of love when you need to in your acting. Actually, that is why I am giving you this assignment. So that when you need this experience for a drama or movie, you will have it," Lory told her.

Kyoko slowly digested his words and then posed her next question. "Takarada-san, if I'm not allowed to create a character for this, what exactly am I supposed to do in this assignment?"

Lory grinned. "Good question, Mogami-kun. Hikaru-kun will take the lead on this and you shall simply follow along. This exercise is mostly for you to enjoy and learn from, unlike your last assignment."

As she mulled over all of this, Kyoko asked her final question. "So when do we start, Takarada-san?"

At this question, Lory absolutely beamed. He stood up, motioned for his two employees to follow him, and walked over to the door.

"Mogami-kun," Lory said as he opened the door, "you will be starting right now!" He shoved both of them out the door and they fell in a heap several feet outside the door.

Lory poked his head outside the door and told them, "Jelly is waiting for you in the LoveMe room! Have fun you two!" Even though it seemed impossible, Lory grinned even wider and then shut the door.

Still lying on the floor, Hikaru and Kyoko looked at each other, both utterly stunned. Hikaru shook his head at the president's antics, but then stood up and offered his hand to Kyoko.

"Well, then…shall we Kyouko-chan?" Hikaru asked.

Kyoko looked at the proffered hand, the shock still plain on her face. Then, she too shook her head at their president's antics and giggled a little. She gently placed her hand in Hikaru's and he helped her up.

"I suppose we shall, Hikaru-san," Kyoko said, still giggling.

Hikaru, lightly blushing, offered his arm to her. Kyoko hesitantly took it, a slightly nervous look in her eye. Although they were both a little uncomfortable with the arrangement, albeit for different reasons, neither pulled away as they walked to the LoveMe room.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: And here is the second chapter! Sorry it took so long. It was kind of weird writing from Hikaru's perspective! xD In any case, thanks to Jhiz, Piacine-Jadeymay, leavesfallingup, WitchMagicCat, Shiroyuki76, and Fangurl Ayane for the reviews! They made me very happy! ^.^ And on a side note, it turns out we were both wrong WitchMagicCat! xD Taichou, the suffix I used, means captain and kaichou, the suffix you suggested, means class president. I used the awesome powers of google to find out that the suffix I should've used was shachou, which means company president. Thank you for pointing out my mistake and please take note that I have changed it! -preens-

Dedications: I'm dedicating this chapter to leavesfallingup and to Fangurl Ayane for their spooky clairvoyance concerning what I wanted to write. o.o

* * *

_-Flashback-_

Hikaru fidgeted nervously as the president of his company stared him down, a look of amusement in the older man's eyes. They had been sitting like this for several minutes, Takarada-shachou staring at Hikaru like he was his new favorite toy and Hikaru staring warily back as if the president was a dangerous snake that might bite him. Although Takarada-shachou probably wouldn't bite him himself, he was dressed up as a snake-charmer, so who knows…and as far as Hikaru could tell, the small waiting room and Takarada-shachou's rather large office didn't nearly add up to all the space the top floor should have. And only Takarada-shachou and God (and maybe Sebastian) knew what was hidden in all that leftover space.

The leader of Bridge Rock knew there was no reason to overreacting so badly. Even if it was rare for Takarada-shachou to call anyone to his office, that didn't mean he was going to get his head bitten off. But if the president had something to say to the band, wouldn't he have asked for Shinichi and Yuusei as well?

'Oh man, I've really got to stop thinking like this,' Hikaru thought as he mentally facepalmed. 'I'm going to freak myself out even more if I keep it up.' He sighed in resignation as the silence stretched on. And then Lory started laughing.

"Stop looking at me like I'm going to fire you or something, Hikaru-kun," Lory managed to get out through his laughs. "I didn't call you here to scold you!"

Lory managed to turn his laughs into chuckles and even those stopped after a few more seconds. "Actually, I need your help with Mogami-kun," he continued.

Hikaru's expression slid from relief and into confusion. "Mogami-kun? Who's that?" he asked.

"Ah, I forgot that she might not have told you her real name yet!" Lory said and lightly slapped his forehead. "I mean Kyouko-chan."

Filing away the information about Kyouko-chan's last name, Hikaru answered, "If Kyouko-chan needs something, Takarada-shachou, then I would be more than happy to help."

"Good, good," Lory said delightedly. "But first, I have a question for you, Hikaru-kun. How exactly do you feel about Mogami-kun? And don't you dare try to lie to me because I already know the answer."

Hikaru blushed. How in the world did the president know how he felt about Kyouko-chan when they hadn't ever met before?

'Just goes to show that the rumors were right about Takarada-shachou being able to sniff out blooming love from a mile away,' Hikaru thought with some amused mental headshaking. Then he answered, "Takarada-shachou, I like Kyouko-chan very much. Without a doubt, she is the most amazing, talented, and caring woman I have ever met. If she would let me, I would be honored to take care and treasure her for the rest of her life."

Lory's face lit up with a brilliant smile at Hikaru's answer. "Perfect!" he responded happily. "You'll be able to help Mogami-kun with this, no problem!"

Hikaru laughed a little at his eccentric president's antics and said, "Takarada-shachou, you haven't explained what exactly I'm supposed to be helping with yet."

"Hmmm, you're right. Although, before I tell you about the assignment, I suppose I should tell you why Mogami-kun needs to do it," Lory paused there, his face suddenly becoming serious. "Tell me, Hikaru-kun, do you know why I placed Mogami-kun in the LoveMe section?"

There was a long, thoughtful pause before Hikaru answered. "No, she has never told me why she's in the LoveMe section," Hikaru said before pausing once more, although only for a few seconds this time. "In fact, I know almost nothing about the LoveMe Section except that they have to wear those pink uniforms."

"I set up the LoveMe section for actors and actresses who had great acting potential but had lost their ability to love," Lory told Hikaru in a solemn voice, waiting for Hikaru's reaction.

Unsurprisingly, Hikaru was shocked. "Unable to love?" he laughed. "Kyouko-chan is possibly the most loving person I've ever met in my life. Why in the world would she ever be in LoveMe?" he said while shaking his head.

"I agree with you," Lory said. "Mogami-kun loves so many of the people around her, it's almost funny that she thinks she can't love anyone. But that is what she thinks."

Once again, there was a long pause between the two men. This time, however, Hikaru stared at Lory as if he had told him the world was flat and Lory just sadly stared back. Lory continued, "She thinks that she has been broken, which I suppose to some extent she has been. I won't tell you why she feels this way, because that is her own story to tell and I do not wish to violate her privacy. But suffice to say, she cannot be allowed to continue like this, for various reasons."

Hikaru just kept blankly staring at Lory with empty eyes for a few seconds. Then he snapped out of it, life returning to his eyes and determination replacing the blankness. "What do you need me to do?" he asked.

"I know that you are not an actor, Hikaru-kun, but I would like you to take part in an acting assignment with Mogami-kun," Lory explained, a small smile reappearing on his face. "You will be acting as Mogami-kun's boyfriend and she as your girlfriend."

Throughout the entire conversation, Hikaru's brain had been taxed quite a bit from shock after shock, but at this statement his brain just shutdown all together.

"Act…as her boyfriend…?" he asked in a daze.

"Exactly, Hikaru-kun," Lory answered.

"But why would we act something like that out? And why would you pick me to do it?" Hikaru asked, still in a daze.

"To your first question: I have two reasons. First of all, Kyouko-chan needs to know how to act out a romantic relationship. She may be getting all of the bully roles right now, but I have a feeling she will be asked to play a more romantic role sooner rather than later. I want her to have some experience in such a role and I think she will appreciate acting the role out with someone she is more comfortable with.. Second of all, I have a faint hope that maybe this role will break Mogami-kun out of her shell and allow her to love again," Lory told the leader of Bridge Rock. "But, that girl is so dense sometimes it will be a miracle if that happens," Lory pouted more to himself than to Hikaru.

Laughing, Hikaru replied, " That is definitely true."

Lory then continued with his answer, saying, "And to your second question: Although, I could've picked another actor to act alongside Mogami-kun, I think it would be best that she do this exercise with someone she is already familiar and comfortable with. That way Mogami-kun won't be too worried about acting out a romantic role."

'And because Ren's schedule was too busy for him to make time for this…' Lory pouted silently.

"Well, Takarada-shachou," Hikaru began, "if you think I can do it, than I am more than happy to help."

"Excellent!" Lory answered gleefully. Then, his face seemed to go blank for a second, as if he had just thought of something. But not a second later, Lory's grin was back, now twice as big and more devious than ever.

"Ah, but Hikaru-kun…I feel that as an ambassador to love I should tell you this, even thought you've probably already realized it…" Lory started, his glee and amusement just barely masked behind a concerned tone. "There are others who have discovered, like you, that Mogami-kun is an exceptional person. Those people aren't going to hold back in pursuing her. And as Mogami-kun becomes more well known, even more people are going to join in the race. I wouldn't hold back to much right now, especially since you will have a monopoly on her for the next few months at least," the president finished.

Hikaru's face blanched, as if he already suspected one such rival. "Thank you for the advice, Takarada-shachou. I will definitely keep that in mind," he thanked the president.

"Well, now that our little chat is done, I think we should invite Mogami-kun in and tell her about her new assignment," Lory chuckled. He then said out loud, as if there was another person in the room, "Could you show Mogami-kun in now, Sebastian?"

Hikaru saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He slowly turned his gaze to the corner of the room and there was Sebastian, standing in the corner.

'How long has he been standing there?' Hikaru asked himself, confusion, yet again, throwing his mind into chaos. 'I didn't notice him at all!' Hikaru thought. Now he was really embarrassed. Had Sebastian heard the whole conversation?

"Of course, Takarada-shachou," Sebastian answered.

As they sat in silence waiting for Sebastian to return with Kyoko, they both thought about the end of their conversation.

Hikaru was thinking, 'Takarada-shachou was probably talking about Tsuruga Ren-san, wasn't he…? But there's others as well?'

And Lory? Lory was thinking, 'If that doesn't get Ren's boring ass moving, then I don't know what will!'

_-End Flashback-_

Hikaru chuckled a little as he remembered his conversation with Takarada-shachou while walking through the hallways of L.M.E. The conversation had went surprisingly well, considering how nervous he had been beforehand. But, after Kyouko-chan showed up…

'Well, that part of the conversation didn't go quite as well,' Hikaru thought to himself, mentally laughing. Yes, he was disappointed that he didn't get in a single word while Kyouko-chan and Takarada-shachou talked, but that was hardly his fault, was it? After Kyouko-chan walked in, he got so embarrassed he couldn't even look her in the face without blushing. The thought of being her boyfriend, even if was only pretend, made him so giddy and happy that he had no doubt that there was a stupid grin plastered on his face. Where did he want to take her for their dated? Where would she want to go most? Wait, first he had to figure out where to take her on their first date, which was going on right now! Oh crap, what was he going to do? He had no idea where to take her…

Hikaru was so caught up in his thoughts, he didn't notice that he had stopped just outside of the revolving doors that led to L.M.E and that he had been standing in front of those doors for several minutes. Nor did he notice that certain someone was timidly tugging on his shirt sleeve, trying to get his attention…

"…ru-san? Hikaru-san?"

He blinked a few times and focused his gaze on Kyoko. "Sorry, Kyouko-chan," he said with a smile. "What were you saying?"

"Oh, I was just making sure you were okay, Hikaru-san!" Kyoko said with a grin. "You were acting like me there for a second, spacing out like that," she continued. And then her face fell and she looked shocked by what she just said.

"I'm sorry, Hikaru-san," she said, immediately flinging herself down into a low bow. "I didn't mean that like you're as weird as I am because that would be very insulting because you are one of the most normal…" Kyoko said as she started one of her odd apologizing rants.

"Kyouko-chan, relax," Hikaru said while trying to keep from laughing. He was failing miserably. "If someone was just randomly spacing out in front of a building, anyone would think it was weird , right?" he managed to get out between his laughs.

At his unsuppressed laughter, Kyoko's face formed an adorable pout. "Hikaru-san, it's not that funny!" she growled at him.

"Sorry, sorry, Kyouko-chan," Hikaru stuttered out, still chuckling. "I'll stop now," he said. Hikaru began walking down the sidewalk and ruffled Kyoko's hair as he passed her. She pouted a little while trying to quickly smooth out her hair, but then grinned and ran to catch up with him. She was looking forward to acting with Hikaru-san, even if they had to act out such embarrassing roles. She really enjoyed spending time with him and the other Ishibashi-onii-sans. She had honestly been upset when she had lost a lot of her time together with them when she was acting as Setsu.

"So," Hikaru started when Kyoko had caught up to him a few seconds later, "where would you like to go for our first date, Kyouko-chan?"

Kyoko blushed at the idea of this being her first date, but shook her head to clear her mind of embarrassment and shyly answered, "I really don't have any idea, Hikaru-san. I don't even really know what to do on a date." She paused for a second, before finally trailing off with, "I've never been on a date before, after all…"

Hikaru looked at the girl walking beside him with some puzzlement. She'd never been on a date before? What kind of people had she been around before she had entered L.M.E.? It was just absurd that no one had taken such a cute girl out on a date yet…

And then it clicked. It wasn't just their first date. It was her first date ever! He had somehow managed to be this wonderful girl's first date! Impossible though it may seem, Hikaru's grin just got even bigger and his face practically beamed sunlight he was so happy. But where were they going to go for their date?

Hikaru thought about this dilemma for a few seconds, before turning to Kyoko and asking, "Have you eaten lunch yet?"

"No, not yet. I was planning to eat something after meeting with Takarada-san, but…" Kyoko answered.

"Well, then," Hikaru started, "we can't go anywhere hungry, can we? I haven't eaten lunch yet either, so how about we grab a bite to eat?"

Kyoko's stomach growled in reply for her. Blushing, she told him, "That's probably a good idea Hikaru-san."

"Then we'll stop at the first restaurant that looks good!" Hikaru declared. As they continued walking, they started talking about small things like work, coworkers, and funny mishaps during and outside of work. Kyoko had more such stories, unsurprisingly. And although he was paying attention to the conversation, Hikaru couldn't help but admire the outfit Jelly Woods had given Kyoko. She was wearing a brown v-neck shirt that was just low enough to show some cleavage, but high enough to not offend her modest sensibilities. On top of that, she wore a stylish white jacket to keep out the cool spring air. She also had on some comfortably tight jeans that showed off how shapely her legs were underneath the denim and a pair of sandals. Not to mention the small touch of makeup Jelly had given her just before they left. She looked absolutely…stunning, even in such a simple outfit. Honestly, he was having some difficulty keeping himself from glaring at the other men who were openly staring at her.

But unbeknownst to him, Kyoko was looking at Hikaru too. It was starting to dawn upon her that Hikaru was actually quite handsome. Maybe not in the same way that Tsuruga-san was, but Hikaru was very handsome nonetheless. And his ensemble only showed it off. Jelly had given him a tan long sleeve button-down collared shirt. The top two buttons were undone, giving everyone a peek at his chest and showing off his chain necklace. He also had on some dark skinny jeans and a pair of black converse. Everything was just tight enough to show off his well defined muscle, but not tight enough to look uncomfortable. In fact, he might be fun to play with, looking that yummy. And she had never gotten to finish their little scene in TBM studios from so long ago…

Then Kyoko's cheeks flushed red and she quickly shooed away Natsu, who was beginning to come through. 'Oh no you don't, missy,' Kyoko thought to herself and to Natsu. 'You've no place here, even if we think…I mean you, even if you think Hikaru-san looks handsome!'

Then, all of a sudden, Hikaru stopped and put his hand on Kyoko's shoulder, stopping her as well. "Why don't we eat there?" Hikaru asked, pointing at a small café across the street.

"Ah, sure, Hikaru-san!" Kyoko quickly said. 'Anything you want, Hikaru-san! Just stop touching me after I was thinking about you in such a waaaaaaaaaay!' she wailed in her head.

Since there was only light traffic at the moment, they quickly crossed the street and went into the café, a little bell at the door sounding their arrival. The café was almost empty, so as they sat down the waitress walked up to them immediately.

"Hello!" the waitress said cheerily, pulling out a little notebook and pen. "What can I get you two today?"

"Well…" Hikaru started while peering at the menu board above the store's counter, "what would you recommend?"

The waitress looked up at the board and thoughtfully tapped her pen to her cheek. "Well, today's special is really good!" she finally told the pair. "I always buy one to bring home for dinner," she continued.

"Then, I'll take that!" Hikaru said happily. Turning back to Kyoko, he asked, "How about you Kyouko-chan?"

"I think…I'll have the same thing," she told the waitress with a smile.

"And to drink?" the waitress asked while scribbling down their order.

"I'll have water," Kyoko told her.

"And I'll have root beer," Hikaru said afterwards.

"Alrighty then! I'll bring your order out in a few minutes!" the waitress said before she walked back to the counter. Kyoko and Hikaru watched her walk away and then turned back towards each other.

"So Kyouko-chan…can I ask you a question?" Hikaru asked slowly.

"Of course, Hikaru-san. What is it?" she said with a smile, trying to calm down her furiously beating heart. She still wasn't quite over her little episode with Natsu.

"Well, I noticed that Takarada-shachou calls you Mogami-kun. I was just wondering if that your family name?"

Kyoko blinked a few times and then chuckled a bit. "Oh, I'm sorry, Hikaru-san. I had forgotten that you, Yuusei-san, and Shinichi-san don't know my real name. My real name is Mogami Kyoko. So, yes, my family name is Mogami."

"That's what I thought," he said, grinning. Then, frowning for a second, he asked, "Um, what should I call you by then? Should I keep calling you by your stage name ?"

"Well, considering the situation we're in," Kyoko said with a rueful smile, "I think it would be fine if you called me by my given name."

"Kyoko it is, then!" Hikaru said and leaned back in his chair. Kyoko blushed and looked down at the table. It was odd for someone to say her name so informally. She had never even let Sho say her name without a suffix!

- 'But…I guess it's alright…considering…' Kyoko thought.

"So, Hikaru-san…" Kyoko began before Hikaru quickly interrupted.

"Now, now Kyoko," he said with a huge grin, wagging his finger at her and putting emphasis on each syllable of her name. "If we're going to be 'dating'," he said, putting air quotes on the word dating, "then you're going to have to call me Hikaru. Just plain, old Hikaru." His eyes twinkled. Teasing her was just way too much fun.

"B-but, Hikaru-san! I can't just…" she said, trying to start again before Hikaru cut her off once more.

"Nope. You won't change my mind, Kyoko," he said while laughing. "You might as well just accept it and move on. Leave the arguing for a fight you actually have a chance at winning!"

Hikaru heard Kyoko grumble something like, "Why do guys always pick on me? Is it really that much fun?", before she looked him in the eye and said, "Fine, Hikaru," mockingly emphasizing every syllable in his name as he had done with hers. "But, I'll have my revenge for this!" she said, pouting angrily and shaking her fist at him. Hikaru blinked a few time, surprised at her reaction. Honestly, he had expected her to fight a bit more about this. Hikaru watched as Kyoko's pout slowly turned into an amused smile and the both cracked up laughing at their antics.

'I was right thinking this was going to be fun! He's just so easy to relax around!' Kyoko thought as they both laughed until they started crying.

"Here's your order!" the waitress chirped, chuckling a little herself at her laughing customers.

"Thank you very much!" Kyoko called after her as she walked away.

"Yeah, thanks!" Hikaru said loudly in agreement.

The two dug in to their food, happily chatting throughout the meal. Even when they finished eating, they sat and talked for another hour or so, talking about silly things like favorite colors and the merits of hamburger steak. Afterwards, Hikaru payed the bill, with quite a lot of protest from Kyoko, and they went their separate ways, Kyoko to the Box R shoot and Hikaru to TBM Studios. But even though they were heading in their own directions, neither could help reminiscing on how much fun they had on their date. And neither of them could contain their excitement at the prospect of doing it again.

* * *

P.S.: Just out of curiosity, how many of you would be interested in a story in which Kyoko and Maria are actually sisters by blood and not only namesake? The idea came to me yesterday and I was thinking about writing a story about it after finishing this one. Well, if you have an opinion on it, please send me a message, leave a review, or something of that nature! ^.^


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